LAUSR

It is recognised that children with intellectual disabilities have a greater propensity to being overweight than children with no intellectual disabilities (1,2) . The aim of this study was to examine the differences in nutrient intake of children with intellectual disabilities, divided into groups according to their anthropometric characteristics and grades lower through upper grades. A cross sectional study was conducted involving eighteen schools for special needs education in Ibaraki prefecture and others in Japan. A brief self-administered diet history questionnaire (BDHQ) was distributed to the parents of all fi rst to sixth grade elementary school children, aged between 6 and 12 years old, on 2nd September, 2022. Only full completed questionnaires, received by 9th September 2022, were analyzed. The exposure variable was the adequate or inadequate intake of nutrients such as protein, fat, carbo-hydrate, Vitamin A, Vitamin B1, Vitamin B2, Vitamin C, Calcium, Iron and Sodium. This variable was compared with a cutoff value at 95% of the recommended dietary allowance (RDA) or, for Sodium where an RDA was unavailable, the tentative dietary goal for preventing lifestyle related diseases (DG) was used (3) . Using self-reported height and weight fi gures, the participants were divided into two groups: a non-overweight group (non-ob), and an overweight group (ob). Obesity is de fi ned using the obesity index; (real weight – standard weight)/standard weight × 100, more than 20% (4) ). Only six children were classi fi ed as lean (-20% or less), thus, they were included in the non-ob. The analysis of covariance adjusted for grade (means were shown with SD), the Cochran-Mantel-Haenszel test adjusted for grade, or a chi square test for lower, middle, upper grade children when the chi square test was strati fi ed by grade category, were performed.